Former LGA chair Sir Jeremy Beecham could have served his last LGA conference as he plans to step down next year. The leader of the Labour group is planning to step down at the general election next year, so is unlikely to be in post in July 2010. Introducing communities secretary John Denham, Sir Jeremy said he was the sixth secretary of state he had introduced to the conference in the past 12 years ‘so we've saved the best for last,' in an apparent admission that Labour will not be in power next year.
